Marriage Advice from the 1950s that is Definitely Not Outdated
India is a land of deep-rooted culture, family values and traditions. Weddings are considered to be extremely sacred in the country. According to holy scriptures and the vedas, a man and a woman shoulder equal responsibilities in making a wedding work, a theory that is applicable even today, although the perception of equality has changed. So, we have a few ‘relevant’ advices from the 50s for all the to-be weds and the newlyweds to take some hints from. Take a look here.
Advice #1: Family is your topmost priority
In the 50s, family was the most important part of a person’s life. Couples, especially women, were taught to prioritise family over career. This was perhaps one aspect that kept families together.
If you consider the present scenario, where professional and personal desires and achievements have taken a higher priority, broken marriages have also become rampant. This is one advice that the current generation does need to adopt from the past. Working as a team is important for couples, to make sure that they enjoy a long, happy and fullfilling life together.
Recommended Read: 5 Romantic Ways to Make Up after a Fight
Advice #2: You are married to the family, and not just to your spouse
In the 50s, Indians had not yet made the transition from the joint family system to a nuclear one. Moreover, family values have always been very strong in India and in keeping with this culture, the younger generation was trained to accept, love and respect every member of the spouse’s family. Women considered it as their foremost duty to be a good wife, a good daughter-in-law, good sister-in-law and a good mother. Men in turn reciprocated and treated the wife’s family as their own.
Well, there are certainly more nuclear families around us these days, but this is one thing that all couples can keep in their relationship- respect and love towards the spouse’s family.
Recommended Read: 5 Steps to Bond with Your Sister-in-law
Advice #3: Marriage is for life
In India, marriages are not meant to be broken; they are to be cherished through all the "seven rebirths"! Although divorces have become increasingly common today, the social scenario was different in the 50s. Back then, divorces were almost a taboo, especially for women. The biggest advice that every girl received was perhaps to remain in the marriage for as long as she is alive.
Well, we would not go to the extent of telling any gender which one has more responsibility towards maintaining this bond forever. What lesson we would suggest you to pick from here is that instead of throwing around the D-word (divorce!), think that marriage is for keeps! Marriage is a "forever bond", and that is how it should be approached.
Recommended Read: 5 Trendy Accessories for the Traditional Indian Bride
Advice #4: Tolerance and acceptance are the keys to a successful marriage
One of the most profound advices that people in the 50s received was to set aside their egos and personal prejudices, and develop the virtues of tolerance and acceptance. When parents chose partner for their child, they always gave the highest priority to these values, so that the new member could easily adjust to not just their spouse, but the family as well.
Given the high-level of stress and pressures that individuals face these days, personally and professionally, this advice therefore seems quite apt to be adopted. What say?
Recommended Read: Find Out if Your Fantasies are a Threat to Your Marriage
Look around at your grandparent's generation, their love and respect for one another; certainly not everything that happened in the days of yore is outdated! The equality between the husband and wife is also more pronounced now. But, the rate of divorces in India is also on a rise today, mainly because of incompatibility and ego issues between the spouses. Perhaps, the younger generation should take a leaf out of yore; and learn to accept, love and respect each other like the people in the 50s did.
